Page 3 - Vinayak Chatterjee

IFS: Getting set to make an impact

As the IFS will still function as an extended arm of the DEA, what then was the need to set up a new body? Six reasons suggest themselves

Unleashing the ropeways

It is noteworthy that the government's vision of 'ropeways as transportation solutions' covers congested urban areas and river-crossings too

Urban mining

To address appropriate C&DW utilisation, elements of the existing policy framework need to be revisited

How safe are India's dams?

The long-term safety of a dam depends on the extent of degradation of its materials, weakening of the foundations and seismological threats

Measures to rejuvenate public-private partnerships

Public-private partnership, or PPP, is back in the reckoning with numerous new projects from ropeways to logistics parks being offered under this format

Procurement policy needs to cover more ground

The most authoritative aspect of the current notification is that its provisions are now part of the General Financial Rules of the Union of India

Gati Shakti: Connecting the silos

There is talk of having the Gati Shakti programme initiate changes in the administrative framework at the ground level

Getting to grips with net-zero

India has unleashed a variety of policies and measures to reach the net-zero goal

Jal Jeevan Mission: Flowing in the right direction

Rural India has 18.93 crore households of whom only 17 per cent had some version of a tap water connection

Re-nationalising British Rail

Vinayak Chatterjee looks at the stresses in public-private partnerships

Moving on the infrastructure agenda

Globally, municipal bonds are an established and major source of funding for urban infra. However, the municipal bond market is quite underdeveloped in India, notes Vinayak Chatterjee

India needs a new Highway Services Authority

Moving on to technology, the new leap of faith is that toll collections are poised to shift to a GPS-based system

The bare necessities for India

The latest Economic Survey has presented an interesting new index called the Bare Necessities Index. The BNI Index covers five areas that impact the daily lives of a bottom-of-the-pyramid householder

Railways on the right track

The bottom line is that it calls for a capital expenditure of Rs 16.74 trillion between 2022 and 2031 on track and terminal infrastructure and rolling stock

Moving beyond L1/H1

The bigger takeaway from this year's Nobel winners is that an overhaul of public procurement processes in India is long overdue

SBD: A useful first step in power reforms

Power ministry is setting the stage for much-needed investments and efficiencies into the sector through privatisation of discoms - with a framework in the form of a draft Standard Bidding Document

Clearing dues from the government

The release of pending dues from statal entities can itself be a fiscal stimulus

Public works: Lessons from history

To generate employment and demand, India needs large scale labour-intensive infrastructure projects

Quantifying the social burden on railway finances

Put simply, the Railways spent Rs 98.44 for every Rs 100 it earned. This was the highest level in 10 years.

Water transport: Still missing the link

It holds out great promise for improving India's logistics and therefore needs to be pushed aggressively